Dec201721

The WHO has declared medical cannabis is beneficial for cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases

The organization found the drug is not addictive and holds no public health risks

The World Health Organization has declared that CBD – the relaxant property of cannabis used in medical cannabis – should not be a scheduled drug.

As legalization of cannabis has spread rapidly across the United States, Canada and around the world, health officials have cautioned that we do not have enough research to rule out any down sides.

But today, after months of deliberation and investigation, the WHO has concluded that cannabidiol (CBD) is a useful treatment for epilepsy and palliative care, and does not carry any addiction risks.

While the organization is set to run a fuller review of cannabis next year, assessing all cannabis-related substances, physicians and the cannabis industry have been poised awaiting this decision to deny scheduling for months.

Had the WHO chosen to schedule the drug, it could have hamstrung physicians from prescribing medical cannabis globally.

The report, published today, also recommended imposing the strong restrictions available on fentanyl, a synthetic opioid which has killed thousands of people in America’s drug addiction epidemic.

‘There is increased interest from Member States in the use of cannabis for medical indications including for palliative care,’ the report said.

‘Responding to that interest and increase in use, WHO has in recent years gathered more robust scientific evidence on therapeutic use and side effects of cannabis and cannabis components.’

In conclusion, the authors wrote: ‘Recent evidence from animal and human studies shows that its use could have some therapeutic value for seizures due to epilepsy and related conditions.’

They added that ‘current information does not justify scheduling of cannabidiol’, and declared that taking medical marijuana will not lead to addiction to THC, the psychoactive property of cannabis that induces a ‘high’.

Speaking to Daily Mail Online, Raul Elizalde, the Mexican father who became an unlikely face for cannabis as he fought to get his epileptic daughter treatment, said he was overcome with emotion.

He is responsible for driving the Mexican government to legalize medical cannabis so his first-born daughter Grace, who once suffered hundreds of seizures a day, could access CBD. Now, she suffers a few seizures a day.

‘I’m ecstatic that these international health leaders agree that CBD is a substance that should not be scheduled and has therapeutic value for a variety of medical conditions,’ Elizalde, founder and president of HempMeds Mexico, told Daily Mail Online on Wednesday.

‘We look forward to continuing our conversation about its many benefits in 2018.’

Speaking last month about his family’s experience venturing into the world of medical cannabis, Elizalde admitted he had never considered the medical benefits of a drug which has caused mayhem and agony in his country.

But after medications and surgeries proved futile for Grace, he and his wife, from Monterrey, a conservative and traditional region in the north of Mexico, decided to try CBS.

‘It has changed our life,’ Elizalde told Daily Mail Online.

‘I never thought I would be doing this, that cannabis would be part of our life. But Grace changed everything. Now I know that just taking CBD is like taking a health supplement. It is not a replacement for her treatment, but it has changed her life.’

The WHO recently published a report, disclosing evidence from animal and human studies.

“There is increased interest from Member States on the use of cannabis for medical indications including for palliative care. Responding to that interest and increase in use, WHO has in recent years gathered more robust scientific evidence on therapeutic use and side effects of cannabis and cannabis components,” the WHO said.

“To that end, the ECDD [Expert Committee on Drug Dependence] did an initial review of a cannabis compound called cannabidiol (CBD). Recent evidence from animal and human studies shows that its use could have some therapeutic value for seizures due to epilepsy and related conditions,” it added.

It was also disclosed that “cannabidiol is not likely to be abused or create dependence as for other cannabinoids such as Tetra Hydro Cannabinol.”

“The ECDD therefore concluded that current information does not justify scheduling of cannabidiol and postponed a fuller review of cannabidiol preparations to May 2018, when the committee will undertake a comprehensive review of cannabis and cannabis related substances,” it further stated.

The recent statement of the World Health Organization (WHO) has given hope to the advocates of medical cannabis in the Philippines who are pushing for the ‘compassionate use’ of the plant which is more popularly known as marijuana.

After four years of fighting for the legalization of medical cannabis, the Philippine Cannabis Compassion Society (PCCS) said it has found a strong ally when the WHO disclosed that medical cannabis is beneficial to patients with cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases.

“Let us listen and respect the views of the real experts. The WHO has already spoken, acknowledging the benefits of medical cannabis,” said PCCS spoeksperson Dr. Donnabel Cunanan.

Cunanan said they see the WHO as the best “Christmas gift.”

“We hope this information will shed light and end the discussion between patients and decision makers. This is the best Christmas gift to us,” she expressed.

“We understand the role that our legislators play in protecting public interest… [but] the WHO already declared that it is not addictive and it is safe and should be given to patients,” she added.

Medical groups in the Philippines

In the Philippines, House Bill No. 180, or the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act, which seeks to legalize medical marijuana, has been passed by the health committee of the House of Representatives.

The WHO report contradicts the statement on Nov. 7 by 16 medical organizations led by Philippine Medical Association and the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila. The statement said: “We strongly oppose medical cannabis legalization since this will expose our citizenry to unnecessary harm and the risk of poor health outcomes.”

Responding to the medical groups’ statement, Isabela Rep. Rodolfo T. Albano III, principal author of the medical cannabis bill, “called on the authors of the statement not to mislead, confuse and alarm the public by making false, unfounded accusations.”

Albano pointed out that “the bill explicitly provides that the Department of Health, in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration, shall be the principal regulatory agency for the use of medical cannabis.

He also suggested that those opposed to the bill “read it carefully, bearing in mind the interest of the thousands of patients suffering from serious and debilitating conditions who will benefit from the legalization of medical cannabis.”

Albano also reminded them of “the people’s right to affordable, accessible, available quality health care through the development of traditional and alternative health care services and its integration into the national health care delivery system.”

DISCLAIMER: The educational information in the website is for references only. Please consult your licensed physicians. The author will not be liable for the use of the information especially in the use of cannabis or herbs in this website.